2000
#13,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Cuesta
A topographic surname of Spanish origin referring to someone who lived on a slope or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,867 Americans carry the last name Cuesta. That puts it at #11,953 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,552 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuesta surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,552
Census rank
#11,953
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,500 bearers of the surname Cuesta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11953rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuesta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuesta
The surname Cuesta has its origins in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "cuesta," which means "hill" or "slope." This name likely originated in areas of Spain with hilly or mountainous terrain, where people may have been identified by their proximity to these geographic features.
Cuesta can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, with records showing the name appearing in various regions of the country as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a census-like document from 1283 that listed individuals and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors.
In the 15th century, the Cuesta surname is mentioned in historical records related to the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that individuals with this name were subject to religious persecution during that time period. One notable figure was Juan de Cuesta, a printer from Madrid who was active in the early 16th century and is known for publishing the works of prominent Spanish writers such as Miguel de Cervantes.
The Cuesta name also appears in connection with Spanish exploration and colonization efforts in the Americas. For example, Pedro de Cuesta was a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century under the command of Hernán Cortés.
Another notable figure was Francisco de Cuesta, a Spanish military leader who played a significant role in the Peninsular War against the French in the early 19th century. He commanded Spanish forces in several key battles and was appointed Captain General of the Spanish Army in 1808.
In the 20th century, Juan de la Cuesta was a Spanish poet and literary critic born in 1922 who made significant contributions to the study of Spanish literature and received numerous awards and honors for his work.
While the Cuesta surname is most closely associated with Spain, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Spanish migration and exploration, particularly to Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuesta
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuesta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuesta bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cuesta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.6% · 2,115
- White9.3% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 104
- Two or more races0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuesta
Cuesta appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
+506 bearers (+25.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 1,448 places
2020
#11,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,500
-20 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,787 | 2,014 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,339 | 2,520 | 0.85 | +506 bearers (+25.1%) | Up 1,448 places |
| 2020 | #11,953 | 2,500 | 0.84 | -20 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 386 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cuesta surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,339 | #11,953 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,520 | 2,500 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.84 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuesta bearers went from 2,520 to 2,500 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,339 to #11,953.
FAQ
Cuesta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuesta?
Name Census estimates that about 2,867 living Americans carry the surname Cuesta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,552 residents.
How common is Cuesta?
Cuesta ranks #11,953 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,500 people with the surname Cuesta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,867), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cuesta.
Has Cuesta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuesta went from 2,520 recorded bearers to 2,500. That is a decrease of 20 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,339 to #11,953.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuesta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuesta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cuesta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (2,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuesta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.6%), White (9.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cuesta (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cuesta mean?
A topographic surname of Spanish origin referring to someone who lived on a slope or hill. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cuesta (0.84 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Cuesta?
See how common the surname Cuesta is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.